Kevin Jepsen

Chicago Cubs 7, Angels 4 (rained out in fourth inning) AT THE PLATE: Manager Mike Scioscia, not wanting to risk injuries on a soggy field, pulled every starter except Hank Conger by the third inning. Bobby Abreu doubled, and Torii Hunter hit a two-run single in the first. Mark Trumbo returned after missing four games because of right groin tightness and singled in his only at-bat. ON THE MOUND: Reliever Francisco Rodriguez started and gave up a walk, a single and Carlos Pena's three-run home run in the first.

Angels 8, Kansas City 6 AT THE PLATE: Torii Hunter, Hideki Matsui and Mike Napoli homered, accounting for seven of the Angels' runs. Hunter's two home runs were his first two of the spring while Matsui's three-run shot in the fifth was his first as an Angel. Napoli's home run an inning later was his team-best fifth of the spring. ON THE MOUND: Joel Pineiro had his best outing of the spring, throwing five shutout innings. But relievers Fernando Rodney and Kevin Jepsen were roughed up with Rodney yielding two runs and four hits in 1 1/3 innings and Jepsen giving up his first run of the spring in his only inning.

AT THE PLATE: Brandon Wood hit a two-run single in the sixth inning and a two-run home run to left, his fourth of the spring, in the eighth. Peter Bourjos and Maicer Izturis hit back-to-back homers in the third. Izturis had three hits, and Alberto Callaspo had two hits and two runs batted in. ON THE MOUND: Reliever Fernando Rodney, pitching for the second consecutive day, retired only one of the five batters he faced, allowing two hits, two walks and a run. Kevin Jepsen, slowed by tightness in his left hip this week, threw a scoreless eighth, and Jordan Walden threw a scoreless seventh.

Angels 11, Chicago White Sox 5 AT THE PLATE: Chris Iannetta and Alberto Callaspo each hit two-run home runs. Albert Pujols, Josh Hamilton and Peter Bourjos each had two hits. Mark Trumbo hit a two-run double in a four-run third inning. The Angels, who are averaging 6.7 runs per game, banged out 18 hits - 10 in the first three innings against right-hander Gavin Floyd, Chicago's No. 3 starter. ON THE MOUND: Kevin Jepsen and Sean Burnett looked good. Jepsen gave up a leadoff single and retired the next three batters; Burnett retired three batters and walked one. Ryan Madson, recovering from Tommy John surgery, said his elbow responded well to Sunday's higher-intensity, 30-pitch bullpen workout.

Angels Manager Mike Scioscia said Tuesday night that examinations of injured shortstop Erick Aybar (right big toe) and relief pitcher Jordan Walden (strained right biceps) by team doctor Lewis Yocum were promising. Walden, out since July 8 with a weakened pitching arm that was related to an issue with a nerve in his neck, will undergo a strength test Friday. If the results are satisfactory, he can begin pitching from a mound in anticipation of being activated from the disabled list.

Jered Weaver struck out 11 batters for the second consecutive time and Erick Aybar hit a game-winning home run. But in the eyes of Angels Manager Mike Scioscia, the deciding factor in the Angels' 3-2 win over the Texas Rangers at Angel Stadium was the relief pitching of Kevin Jepsen in the eighth inning. Jepsen inherited runners on second base and third base with one out when Weaver departed the game Saturday, but the 25-year-old right-hander retired Michael Young and Marlon Byrd to help preserve the win. "The biggest thing this afternoon was Kevin Jepsen; I don't think you could ask for anything more from a guy pitching in the back end of the bullpen than what he did," Scioscia said.

SEATTLE - Pitching in games wasn't so much of a problem for reliever Sean Burnett, who had a 1.04 earned-run average in 11 appearances before being placed on the 15-day disabled list because of forearm irritation Sunday. The discomfort Burnett felt between appearances is what prevented him from pitching on back-to-back days and sent the veteran left-hander to the sidelines for at least another two weeks. “Pitching-wise, I feel better than I have all year,” said Burnett, who had surgery to remove two bone spurs from his elbow last October.

KEY MOMENT: The Angels were one out from defeat, and three runs down, when Raul Ibanez stepped to the plate in the ninth inning. Ibanez delivered a three-run home run - his second home run of the season, and the 2,000th hit of his career - to force the game into extra innings. But Mets catcher Anthony Recker had the game-winning hit, a 13th-inning home run off the last man in the Angels' bullpen, Matt Shoemaker. AT THE PLATE: Collin Cowgill and Chris Iannetta each hit his first home run of the season.

The one-game-at-a-time attitude preached by Angels Manager Mike Scioscia has not been adopted only by the players. It's an organizational thing. Consider this: There are hundreds of bottles of champagne somewhere in the clubhouse, out of sight of the players and awaiting the Angels' imminent clinching of the American League West championship, and yet clubhouse manager Ken Higdon would not even entertain the question of exactly where those bottles might be stashed. "We don't talk about it," Higdon said.

AT THE PLATE: Bobby Abreu followed Erick Aybar's third-inning single with a towering two-run home run to right field against starter Barry Zito . Aybar, who seems to be warming to his new leadoff role, also walked twice, once to spark a two-run rally in the sixth inning that included Torii Hunter's run-scoring double to left field and Hideki Matsui's run-scoring single to right field. ON THE MOUND: Three of the Angels' front-line relievers looked sharp, Kevin Jepsen retiring the side in order with one strikeout in the seventh inning; Scot Shields , pitching on consecutive days for the first time this spring, throwing a hitless eighth, and Fernando Rodney striking out two of three batters in the ninth inning for the save.